Midway Atoll

most famous and important battles in history. The battle of Trafalgar (1805) and the Battle of Midway (1942). Both of these battles are of significant importance to their respective navies histories are also characterised as events which changed the course of a war. The battle of trafalgar effectively saved endured that an invasion of the British Mainland would not take place. Similarly the battle of midway is categorized as the battle which ended japanese aggression in the region- subjecting…

There is a weapon that can strike many hundreds of miles from its launching point. It has devastating accuracy, with an error margin for stationary targets measured in tens of feet. It was this weapon-- plentiful, cheap, and reliable-- that may have brought about a new epoch of naval warfare. Surely the weapon of reference is the cruise missile-- precise, long ranged, and paradigm shifting in naval combat. However, while all those statements do apply to the cruise missile, they also apply to…

The Battle of Midway is often regarded as the “turning point in the Pacific” as well as the most decisive victory in the history of the United States Navy (USN). The United States had been planning for a war with Japan for years, but when the time came, Japan was second in priority to Germany. The Japanese leadership of Admiral Yamamoto, Commander of Japanese Combined Fleet, and Vice Admiral Nagumo, commanding officer of the carriers, wanted to take charge in the Pacific by putting all of their…

The battle of the Coral Sea was caused by the interception Americans made against the Japanese advancing to New Guinea in May of 1942. This was the first battle air-sea battle in history. The Japanese planes landed in the area of New Guinea, Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher commanded the American aircraft carriers to attack. Because of codebreakers who knew enough information to perceive the japanese, the Allied fleets were able assembled in the Coral Sea in time to attack the Japanese. These…

Admiral Mitscher and the Battle of the Philippine Sea As World War II, came to a close in Europe, the war in the Pacific for the United States against Japan continued to escalate with the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Also known as the Battle of the Marianas, Admiral Marc Mitscher led an entire armada with four air craft carriers. After his rise through the ranks as a naval officer, his accumulation of war and aviation experience gave him the ability to influence United States air power and…

Isoroku Yamamoto, originally named Takano Isoroku, was born April 4th 1884 and died April 18th 1943 was the Japanese naval officer who conceived of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. He changed his name after he was adopted by the Yamamoto family. His father was a low class samurai. Yamamoto graduated from the Japanese Naval Academy in 1904, and participated in the Russo-Japanese war. He was…

The Battle of Midway revealed that the U.S Navy and more importantly their leader, Admiral Chester Nimitz, was capable of strategizing. After breaking Japan’s code, America had gathered enough information to figure out a game plan before Japan reached Midway. Admiral Nimitz’s plan was to fight and defend Midway, but to ultimately ruin Japan’s naval fleet and leave them with nothing. Compared to Admiral Yamamoto’s plan, Nimitz’s seemed very plain and simple. Instead of concentrating on such…

The Factors Contributing to the Victory at Midway The Battle of Midway was key victory for the United States in the Pacific. This battle had many challenges, but a great amount of luck and good leadership and strategy contributed to the victory that destroyed a large number of Japanese military forces and weakened the Japanese Navy. This enabled the United States to island hop toward the Japanese mainland and enclose on their conquered empire, leading to a surrender and eventually the end of…

On December 7th 1941, Pearl Harbor was deliberately attacked by the Empire of Japan. This day would become, “a day that will live in infamy” according to Franklin Roosevelt. The attack on Pearl Harbor left about 2,500 sailors dead and a thousand more wounded. It was evident, that the attack was planned months before the set day, and became apparent that the United States was mislead by the Empire of Japan in believing an attack would not be coming. It is said that the attack happened because the…

The Island of Midway is located in Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,300 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii. Strategically, the island became a valuable asset to obtain during the Pacific War because of its location, as a half way point from Hawaii to Japan. Increased tensions between Japan and the United States came to a climax December 7, 1941; the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Six months later, the United States engaged the Japanese Imperial fleet in the Battle of Midway. The analysis of the events…